Charms are a new mechanic in Path of Exile 2 that combine the functionality of utility flasks with a unique item system, allowing players to directly address their character's weaknesses through powerful active effects. By understanding how charms work and selecting the right ones, players can significantly boost survivability, enhance map clearing efficiency, and improve boss encounters.
About Charms in Path of Exile 2
Charms are equipable Path of Exile 2 items that provide active effects when triggered. They operate using a charge system, and each charm typically consumes 60-80 charges to activate its effect. Charms help characters counter critical weaknesses, such as:
● Lack of resistance (e.g., chaos resistance, elemental resistance).
● Ailment vulnerabilities (e.g., freeze, ignite, poison, bleed, stun).
● Improving rewards (e.g., increased rarity, better drop quality).
When selecting charms, prioritize solving survivability issues first, and then consider enhancing loot and rewards.
How Charms Work in Path of Exile 2
1. Charge System: Charge System Charms consume charges each time they are triggered. Charms have a charge pool (usually 60-80 charges), and once activated, the charm needs time to recharge. Certain passive skills or gear affixes can help increase your charm’s maximum charge pool or charge regeneration speed, making it easier to use them frequently in high-intensity situations like boss fights.
2. Charm Slots: Each character starts with one charm slot, but can increase it up to three slots through specific methods. The more slots you have, the more types of charms you can carry, allowing you to address multiple weaknesses or increase rewards simultaneously. With multiple charm slots, players can flexibly combine defensive charms with utility or reward-focused charms, adapting to various combat scenarios. There are two Ways to expand charm slots:
Belt Modifiers: Some belts come with a “+2 charm slots” modifier, which is the most direct way to increase charm slots.
Passive Tree Nodes: Certain nodes in the passive skill tree grant +1 charm slot, which can be unlocked at a relatively low cost via anointment. However, players need to weigh this against other potentially stronger anointments.
Important: Expanding charm slots can help players address more weaknesses or combine defensive and reward-enhancing charms for greater flexibility in different scenarios.
List of Charms in Path of Exile 2
Amethyst Charm: Used when you take chaos damage from a hit.
Thawing Charm: Used when you become frozen.
Golden Charm: Used when you kill a rare or unique enemy.
Staunching Charm: Used when you start bleeding.
Antidote Charm: Used when you become poisoned.
Dousing Charm: Used when you become ignited.
Grounding Charm: Used when you become shocked.
Stone Charm: Used when you become stunned.
Silver Charm: Used when you are affected by a slow.
Ruby Charm: Used when you take fire damage from a hit.
Sapphire Charm: Used when you take cold damage from a hit.
Topaz Charm: Used when you take lightning damage from a hit.
Path of Exile 2 Charm Tier List
Here's a tier list of charms in Path of Exile 2, ranked based on their utility, activation requirements, and overall effectiveness:
S-Tier Charms
These charms provide significant benefits and are highly recommended for most builds.
1. Golden Charm
• Effect: 20% increased rarity of items found.
• Activation: When killing a rare or unique enemy.
• Charges: Consumes 80 charges.
• Usage: Excellent for improving loot quality, especially for characters focused on farming.
2. Thawing Charm
• Effect: Grants immunity to freeze.
• Activation: When you become frozen.
• Charges: Consumes 80 charges.
• Usage: Essential for avoiding immobilization due to freeze, particularly for energy shield-based characters.
A-Tier Charms
These charms are very useful and can significantly enhance your survivability and performance.
1. Amethyst Charm
• Effect: Provides 18% chaos resistance.
• Activation: When you take chaos damage from a hit.
• Charges: Consumes 60-80 charges.
• Usage: Ideal for mitigating chaos damage, especially for energy shield users.
2. Dousing Charm
• Effect: Grants immunity to ignite.
• Activation: When you become ignited.
• Charges: Consumes 60 charges.
• Usage: Important for preventing ignite, which can delay energy shield recharge.
B-Tier Charms
These charms offer good utility but may be more situational.
1. Staunching Charm
• Effect: Grants immunity to bleeding.
• Activation: When you start bleeding.
• Charges: Consumes 60 charges.
• Usage: Vital for life-based characters to prevent life damage from bleeding
2. Antidote Charm
• Effect: Grants immunity to poison.
• Activation: When you become poisoned.
• Charges: Consumes 40 charges.
• Usage: Crucial for characters with high energy shield and low life to avoid poison damage.
C-Tier Charms
These charms are useful but may not be as impactful as higher-tier options.
1. Grounding Charm
• Effect: Grants immunity to shock.
• Activation: When you become shocked.
• Charges: Consumes 50 charges.
• Usage: Useful for avoiding increased damage taken due to shock.
2. Stone Charm
• Effect: Prevents stun.
• Activation: When you become stunned.
• Charges: Consumes 40 charges.
• Usage: Beneficial for melee characters and those prone to being stunned.
D-Tier Charms
These charms have niche uses and may not be as broadly applicable.
1. Silver Charm
• Effect: Negates slows.
• Activation: When you are affected by a slow.
• Charges: Consumes 40 charges.
• Usage: Useful for maintaining speed when affected by slows.
2. Ruby, Sapphire, and Topaz Charms
• Effect: Provide 25% resistance to fire, cold, and lightning, respectively.
• Activation: When you take elemental damage from a hit.
• Charges: Consumes 40 charges.
• Usage: Essential for mitigating elemental damage but may be less impactful compared to other charms.
How to Upgrade Charms in Path of Exile 2
Upgrading charms in Path of Exile 2 can significantly enhance their effectiveness and tailor them to your specific needs. Here’s a detailed guide on how to upgrade charms:
1. Adding Modifiers
• Orbs of Augmentation: Use these to add a random modifier to a magic charm. This can enhance the charm's existing properties or add new beneficial effects.
• Exalted Orbs: This valuable POE2 currency can add an additional modifier to a rare charm, significantly boosting its power and versatility.
2. Improving Charm Quality
• Regal Orbs: Increase the rarity of a charm to enhance its power. This can make the charm more effective and valuable.
• Catalysts: These can be used to improve the quality of a charm, increasing its base stats and overall effectiveness.
3. Charge Management
• Passive Skills and Gear Affixes: Invest in passive skills or find gear with affixes that increase your charm’s maximum charge pool or charge regeneration speed. This allows you to use charms more frequently in high-intensity situations like boss fights.
• Charge Reduction Modifiers: Some modifiers can reduce the amount of charge required to activate a charm, allowing for more frequent use.
4. Crafting and Modifying Charms
• Crafting: Use crafting methods to add or improve modifiers on charms. This can be a more controlled way to obtain the charms you need. Utilize Orbs of Augmentation, Exalted Orbs, and other crafting materials to enhance your charms' effectiveness.
